The only MLM I was ever sucked into was MaryKay Cosmetics. I bought the kit and some inventory and was "on my way with MaryKay". I think I sold about $200 worth of product. THe best sales I ever had was at a yard sale where I sold off all my inventory.

Most people did not want to spend money on something that they could get at the corner drugstore for cheaper. The only thing most people said the liked about MK was that you could try it before you bought it. Still most drugstores and dept. stores offer refunds for stuff you bought if you have a receipt. I took some stuff that I got from Estee Lauder back and got my card credited. Harder to do that with an MK dealer who may have already spent your money.

I guess I am one of the few who has never been approached by Amway. I amost got sucked into Vector and Primerica. Both are sleazy (imo) in that they make you think you are there on a legit job interview until they start talking then you find out what it's about.

Ginger

Logged

Don't Tread On Me!!!!!

kathrynne

I guess I am one of the few who has never been approached by Amway. I amost got sucked into Vector and Primerica. Both are sleazy (imo) in that they make you think you are there on a legit job interview until they start talking then you find out what it's about.

I got sucked into one of those cattlecall "interviews" for Primerica, way back when, and walked out disgusted. Every now and then somebody will call to "discuss career alternatives" with DH, always between 9 and 5 when he's at work, and I've learned to spot the Primerica spiel within a few words. They hate to say upfront who they're representing, so when they stay vague as I'm asking for details I ask outright if they're calling about Primerica. Then I laugh and tell them to stop spamming my phone and delete us from any and all calling lists, which they never do.

I guess I am one of the few who has never been approached by Amway. I amost got sucked into Vector and Primerica. Both are sleazy (imo) in that they make you think you are there on a legit job interview until they start talking then you find out what it's about.

I got sucked into one of those cattlecall "interviews" for Primerica, way back when, and walked out disgusted. Every now and then somebody will call to "discuss career alternatives" with DH, always between 9 and 5 when he's at work, and I've learned to spot the Primerica spiel within a few words. They hate to say upfront who they're representing, so when they stay vague as I'm asking for details I ask outright if they're calling about Primerica. Then I laugh and tell them to stop spamming my phone and delete us from any and all calling lists, which they never do.

I guess I am one of the few who has never been approached by Amway. I amost got sucked into Vector and Primerica. Both are sleazy (imo) in that they make you think you are there on a legit job interview until they start talking then you find out what it's about.

I got sucked into one of those cattlecall "interviews" for Primerica, way back when, and walked out disgusted. Every now and then somebody will call to "discuss career alternatives" with DH, always between 9 and 5 when he's at work, and I've learned to spot the Primerica spiel within a few words. They hate to say upfront who they're representing, so when they stay vague as I'm asking for details I ask outright if they're calling about Primerica. Then I laugh and tell them to stop spamming my phone and delete us from any and all calling lists, which they never do.

Who are Primerica and what do they sell?

Supposidly, they sell insurance. Ofcourse they also "give financial advise".

What disgusted me about them was that they made it sound like a legetimet job interview.

What tipped me off about them was the way they kept me waiting. I was there on time, early in fact. I noticed that they had this room of people for a seminar. What also tipped me off that they were shady, was that they would not tell me what they sold. I had to do some digging on my own to find out that they were an MLM.

A casual friend of mine once tried to get me into some MLM operation. He called me one night, telling me he had something really urgent and important to discuss with me, but wouldn't say what it was on the phone. He asked me to meet him in the city centre the next day. I went, as I was worried - he'd sounded stressed on the phone, so I thought he was sick or in some sort of trouble. I saw him, we greeted and then he introduced another man (with over-trendy haircut and expensive-looking clothes) to me.

We then went into a cafe, where the other man flipped open his briefcase and started presenting this wonderful business scheme that I'd only have to pay 100€ to get into at beginner level. I was so confused about the whole thing that I listened to the spiel and told my friend I'd think about it when they pressured me into joining right away. My friend then called me a few hours after I'd left from our charming get-together, reeeally pushing me to join. I refused, and haven't really seen the friend since.

The business scheme was in the news about a month afterwards, as it'd been declared a pyramid scheme by the officials and thus was illegal. I think the man who did the talking during my recruitment attempt was sentenced to at least fines, if not jail.

Has anyone ever seen the movie "Go" when the cop serving as a consultant on a crime show takes two actors home for dinner with his wife. They make increasingly bizarre statements, including the husband asking one actor to sit on his bed, "Isn't this the softest comforter you've ever felt?" The actors are terrified that the cop is about either to proposition them or kill them, and it turns out the whole thing was a pitch for a direct sales company. Almost everything in the house, from the comforter to the food, to the furniture is from the company and the cop sells it, too! The cop wants to use the actors' Hollywood connections to ramp up his own operation. It's very creepy, but hilarious at the same time.

"It's not Amway, it's Confederated Products." I loved that movie.

"It's a different company; it's a different quality of product."The creepiest part about that situation is that the actors are only there in the first place b/c they have a DRUG arrest hanging over their heads . . .

Speaking of getting dragged to high-pressure cult-like groups under false pretenses-- has anyone here ever been to a sales-pitch meeting for the Landmark Forum?

Landmark Forum!! I've been wracking my brains trying to remember the organization I was invited to once!

I was invited to a meeting by an acquaintence once! He told me about a party he was having and he was going to introduce me to a "new way of thinking."

I was fine with my current way of think so I didn't go...

I heard later from a mutual acquaintence that LF was pretty much a cult that would try to sucker in lonely people, which made sense because while acquaintence #1 was a nice guy, he kinda creeped me out.

::shudder:: I left Michigan 5 months before the November election, so i didn't get the opportunity to vote. Honestly I was suprised that Granholm got re-elected, but knowing that DeVos was the president of Amway makes me glad he didn't get elected.

Hey wait a minute! Maybe his huge economic plans for Michigan involved signing everyone who is unemployed up for Amway products!!!! He would have brought so many jobs back to Michigan that way!!!!

I can remember being in Bogota Colombia as a starving student who was teaching English classes to make ends meet seeing a newspaper ad that said they needed Bilingual people to tutor in English, and I was assuming it was for some kind of place like Sylvan... so I got all dressed up, went across the city to an "interview"... It was an Amway seminar. I have never been so disgusted in my life...

::shudder:: I left Michigan 5 months before the November election, so i didn't get the opportunity to vote. Honestly I was suprised that Granholm got re-elected, but knowing that DeVos was the president of Amway makes me glad he didn't get elected.

Hey wait a minute! Maybe his huge economic plans for Michigan involved signing everyone who is unemployed up for Amway products!!!! He would have brought so many jobs back to Michigan that way!!!!

Yet another case of choosing the lesser of two evils. I'm even sad to say that I stayed in The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids... but I didn't pick it, so it's no so bad.

LadyFlyingAce

I have been harassed by Primerica so many times it is unreal. It reminds me of the time I had two Mormon missionaries on my tail trying to get me to convert.

Unfortunately my university posts the home phone numbers of its students directly on the university web site. Now that I've had a cell phone for three years, I know that if anyone calls my parent's house (I lived at home and commuted) then there was a 90% chance it was Primerica.

And it's different people every time, always wanting to know if I'm interested in a job interview for a great business opportunity. I've had three friends of mine ask me to get involved in Primerica and about five cold calls from people I don't even know. When I asked the last woman how she got my number, she refused to tell me. First sign of trouble.

What exactly is Primerica? I am trying to see if it's the same thing a couple of my friends got involved in some time ago. They were looking to change careers and paid a lot of money to take these financial classes to become some kind of financial representative, but I can't remember what exactly it was all about.

Way Back When, I was invited to lunch by a Primamerica guy who spent the whole time trying to get me to become one of his salespeople for some some kind of investment. All I remember from his talk was "the rule of 72", (an interest calculation, I think), and how much commission I could make each month from recurring client payments. I declined, stating that I couldn't spare the time away from home at night and weekends doing in-person sales calls at prospective clients homes, as my wife was expecting our first and I had to be available at all times. I did thank him for the free lunch, but to this day, I have no idea who gave him my name or work phone number!

Logged

Work fascinates me! I can stare at it for hours!

retreadbride

I got stung by Primerica. I was told to show up on Saturday "for licensing" and to pay $150. Like a complete physical part I can't use her, I paid it. In advance. I thought it was for the paperwork, etc, since in my state license fees tend to run high, including marriage licenses.

The Saturday session and fee was for a CLASS, and then you had to take an exam. I got out and count myself fortunate that I only lost $150. I know people who lost BIG money on other MLMs, including a coworker who kissed 5 grand goodbye to a guy with a double D at the end of his name.